Captain
by UndeadFae
Summary: Being the Teikoku's new captain after Kidou left isn't easy, especially when you don't feel up to the task. They try anyways.


I keep forgetting to repost my fics from ao3 to here sowwy

This spawned because in the Blizzard/Firestorm games when you play against Teikoku in the first taisen route Kidou isn't with them and Genda is their captain and I literally haven't been able to stop thinking about that since, then I saw one random Teikoku npc talking and the rest is history

* * *

With a tired sigh, Genda dropped onto the bench, a hand quickly reaching out for the nearest water bottle. Ever since Kageyama disappeared, the team's practice had become a lot more bearable, yet he felt even more exhausted than before at times, eager to go home and drop dead for a few hours after seeing the rest of the team leave the field.

The deep red band on his arm definitely played a big part of that.

The Teikoku was still feeling deeply Kidou's absence, even when it's already been months since the Zeus' defeat. They all knew that their captain wouldn't come back after seeing him play with the Raimon, but no one wanted to accept it yet. With the team struggling in its attempts to function without Kidou, however, it was about time they moved forward.

Genda still wasn't sure how his constant attempts at cheering and firing up his teammates led to them finding him worthy of being their new captain, but with all the hope and expectations they put into him he really wasn't keen on letting them down.

If only he had the slightest idea of what he was doing.

"Still here?" Turning towards the door of the locker room, he couldn't hold back a smile at the sight of Sakuma, jersey draped over his shoulders and bag held loosely in one hand. Even with his eagerness to leave and go home right away, Sakuma was still waiting for him.

"Sorry, I was just resting for a bit..." With that, Genda stood up, taking his time to stretch everything that could be stretched before opening his locker. A warm shower sounded heavenly with how sore his entire body felt. "You don't have to wait for me every day, you know?" Even without looking at him, he already knew Sakuma was shrugging, moving to sit on the bench as he waited with a surprising patience for him to be ready.

"I know, but I wanted to. Besides you're my boyfriend, why wouldn't I wait for you? You do the same for me." And he proceeded to reach into Genda's bag for a snack. Not like Genda minded, not when he kept them there for that exact reason.

His tired smile quickly faded once he took off the captain's band, absently staring at it for what felt like far too long. It felt surprisingly heavy for a piece of fabric. Sakuma was just as quick to notice that something was off.

"What's on your mind?" Not what's wrong. He already knew that if given the chance Genda would've just dodged the question. The others before himself, he was just that kind of selfless idiot. And as his selfless idiot, Sakuma took it upon himself to know exactly when something was wrong and help him before it got worse.

For a moment, Genda just silently shook his head, the usual 'nothing' almost slipping past his lips before he could even think about it. Then, he sighed and hid the source of his headaches back into the safety of his pocket.

"I... I don't think I'm good enough for this, you know? I just- I can't be the kind of captain the team needs after Kidou left. I'm not what they expected."

He didn't need to turn to see Sakuma's frown. The light slap at the back of his head was already enough.

"Idiot, do you really think we all would've agreed to asking you to be the captain if we thought you weren't up for it?" Genda didn't answer. Sakuma sighed, tugging on his sleeve to turn him around and get his attention. "Seriously, don't be so hard on yourself." He still wasn't convinced.

"... You should be the captain." His head snapped up to stare at Genda, brow furrowing in confusion. "Don't look at me like that- you're way smarter than me and better at directing the team than I am. You're pretty much our playmaker now, remember how you tricked the other team in our last match and completely broke their defense?"

"You're giving me too much credit- you've done a lot for the team already, you know?" For a moment, Sakuma was quiet, considering his next words. Their endless stubbornness wouldn't get anything solved if he didn't find the right thing to say. "... I was the first one to say that you should be the new captain, then everyone else agreed. You always work so hard to make sure everyone is alright- hell, you kept their spirits up even when you were still in the hospital- and you're telling me you can't be a good captain? Bullshit." At least that worked pretty well in taking Genda off guard enough to stop his self-deprecation.

"But I-"

"No buts." It only took a few seconds of heavy silence for his stern expression to crumble. "... Besides, I'm not that good of a playmaker. Kidou would make better strategies than what I could barely put together last time." Suddenly, he was desperate to avoid Genda's gaze, his eye suddenly finding the floor's tiles far more interesting. Not like Genda couldn't understand, not when they both were fighting and struggling against the same doubts taunting them. Fulfilling Kidou's role was feeling more and more difficult each day.

"Don't say that- you're so much better than you think. " Sakuma wasn't so easily convinced. When Genda firmly put his hands on his shoulders, he quickly looked up, startled out of his thoughts. When he spoke again, there wasn't an ounce of hesitation in his voice. "I mean it. You're smart, observant and a quick thinker, that's what we need right now. Do you really think the team would be listening to you if you weren't that good?" At least that seemed to get him thinking before speaking. Genda counted that as a victory. He just needed to make sure he truly got his point across now. "You're working hard for everyone else, harder than anyone expects you to. The team... we all trust you, even when you think you're taking the wrong choice. Don't second guess yourself so much."

For a moment, Sakuma was quiet, only staring at him, almost like searching for some hidden lie. Then, he sighed, a small grin making its way on his face.

"You're really not gonna let me live this down, aren't you?" Before Genda could even think of some snarky remark, he leaned up just enough to leave a short kiss on his lips. When he pulled back, his smile looked a lot more genuine. "... Thanks, though. Really."

"You don't have to thank me." As tempting as it was, he didn't say that his smile was already enough, despite how much he greatly enjoyed seeing Sakuma's bright red face. "I should be the one thanking you- I wouldn't manage to get anything done without you."

"Someone had to do it." Sakuma just shrugged, his way of saying 'you're welcome'. Then, the smile on his ace turned into a shit-eating smirk faster than Genda could catch a shot. "Wouldn't want to leave you all alone in this, right, my dear Captain? Could you imagine the horror? Having to keep everyone in line all by yourself? I don't know how you would do it without me."

More often than not, his boyfriend was one little piece of shit. Genda wouldn't have it any other way. He just rolled his eyes, finally remembering to pull his jersey out before quickly leaning down to press a quick kiss on his cheek. It caught Sakuma off guard enough to turn the tip of his ears bright red right away. Victory.

"Yes, I would be lost without you. Let's go now, I want to sleep for a week." In the end, he didn't change his uniform. It was almost the weekend anyways, he could just toss it in the laundry basket and take a nice, hot shower, forget about everything and sleep until noon.

"Alright, your home today, we can watch a few movies- after we take care of your wrist."

"What-"

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice? I'm disappointed."

"... Damn."

"Woah, watch your fucking language."

Their banter continued all the way back home.

Keeping the team together might be hard and exhausting, but they weren't going to give up.


End file.
